Thou with Null & Clot Live @ Aisle 5

A few months ago, I was randomly scrolling Facebook, and to my surprise, I came across a post promoting Thou performing at Aisle 5 with opening support from Null and Clot. The top of the flyer read: ‘Madness, mayhem, erotic vandalism, devastation of innumerable souls…’, while the bottom of this flyer read, ‘While we scream and perish, history licks a finger and turns the page.’ Thou have always carried this mystic and lore within the metal community, and I was eager to finally see them perform live. Thou hast been my white whale for many years.

This would be my first time watching Thou perform after years of listening to this phenomenal sludge/doom metal band out of Baton Rouge. And this opportunity to see Thou perform live at an intimate venue is a no-brainer in my book. And getting the chance to see Null and Clot opening for Thou this evening was just the cherry on top. Just go ahead and take my money now! Other cities on this brief tour included Memphis, Chicago, Milwaukee, Akron, Brooklyn, Washington, D.C., Lynchburg, and New Orleans, to name a few. It was also announced that this would be the last Thou tour for a while, so if you got the opportunity to watch Thou on this run, consider yourself very lucky.

Clot is a grindcore/death metal/power-violence band from Atlanta, Georgia, that has been active since 2022. Clot consists of Christian Perez (vocals), Daniel Weed (guitar/vocals), Yasin Knapp (guitar/bass), Stephen DeFoor (bass), and Cameron Austin (drums). Clot has released one (1) LP, two (2) EPs, and three (3) singles since forming as a band. Clot was formed after Yasin Knapp and Christian Perez got together, intending to produce a hybrid mix of the grindcore genre. But also with the direct intention to test the boundaries of what a conventional grindcore band sounded like to fans of the genre.

Clot had a large gathering of devoted fans at the show, and gave the band their flowers as they graced the stage at Aisle 5. This would be my first time with Clot, but I knew what I was getting into with their thrashing grindcore/noise rock sound. Starting their set with “To Hell”, Clot destroyed the stage and ruptured eardrums with their devastating blast beats and crushing vocals. I was thrilled to hear back-to-back-to-back: “Fucking Rot” > “Fermented Wound” > “Doubt the Knower”, and so was the crowd by their reactions during the performance of these three incredible songs by Clot. I hope to see Clot perform again soon down the road, and I hope you get the chance to do so as well.

You can view Clot’s setlist from this evening’s performance below:

·         “To Hell”

·         “A Repetitive Path of Dissonance”

·         “A Critical Moment of Agony”

·         “Fucking Rot”

·         “Fermented Wound”

·         “Doubt the Knower”

·         “Hostility”

·         “Peacegrinder”

·         “Bastard’s Crucifix”

·         “Suffocating Shame”

·         “Autophagia”

You can support Clot via their official Bandcamp page today! You can also support other local Atlanta bands that are signed to Terminus Hate City (THC) by checking them out on Bandcamp today.

Null is an ambient post-punk/heavy/experimental/vibes band from Birmingham, Alabama, that has been active since 2007. Null consists of Carter Wilson (vocals/guitars), Kevin Wright (guitars), Brenton Reid (bass), Brad Davis (vocals), and David Hickox (drums/synthesizers/vocals). Null has released three (3) LPs, one (1) EP, and two (2) singles. Null’s latest LP, First Sign Ahead, was released on November 22, 2024, via Impossible Wallpaper Records. What started as an experimental drone metal band between Carter and Kevin soon evolved into a new dynamic sound with multiple complex layers.

Null started their set with no hesitation, just pure, uncut metal fury. I was ecstatic to see Atlanta showing Birmingham’s Null some love as they performed some ear-shattering songs from their discography. Personally, I was a huge fan of their performances of “Walking Ruins” and “Binds of Blood,” which are two tracks from Null that I wanted to hear live. But what was a bonus was the last song of the night, Null’s brilliant cover of the talented P.J. Harvey track, “To Bring You My Love.”

The setlist from Null’s supporting performance can be viewed below:

·         “Waste”

·         “Walking Ruins”

·         “Bite”

·         “Binds of Blood”

·         “When You Love”

·         “Bow”

·         “To Bring You My Love” (PJ Harvey cover)

You can follow Null and purchase some of their music directly via their official Bandcamp page.

Thou is a sludge/doom metal band from Baton Rouge, Louisiana that formed in 2005. Thou currently consists of Andy Gibbs (guitar), Matthew Thudium (guitar), Mitch Wells (bass), Bryan Funck (vocals), KC Stafford (guitars/bass/vocals), and Tyler Coburn (drums). Thou have released six (6) LPs, six (6) EPs, seven (7) singles, five (5) collaborative releases, two (2) demos, fifteen (15) splits, seven (7) compilation albums, and eight (8) compilation contributions. Thou’s latest studio album, Umbilical, was released on May 31, 2024, via Sacred Bones Records.

The time had finally come to see Thou annihilate the stage at Aisle 5 with their raw sludgy sound straight from Baton Rouge. You could feel the anticipation as Thou huddled around the drummer before striking the first chord to the second song off Umbilical, “Emotional Terrorist.” I was pleased to hear their brilliant cover of “Mailman” by Soundgarden thrown in the mix. In 2020, Thou released the phenomenal compilation album titled A Primer of Holy Words, which featured another great cover by Soundgarden, “Fourth of July.” Might I add that the streaming version of this album contains four classic Black Sabbath tracks that are not on the actual physical album, and I hope Thou presses these recordings on vinyl one day.

For all the old school fans of Thou, “Their Hooves Carve Craters in the Earth” from their 2008 EP Malfeasance-Retribution made the setlist, and I knew a lot of the attendees were excited to hear this treasure from the past. Another gem from Thou’s back catalog was added to the set, “By Endurance We Conquer” off their 2010 studio album Summit. This entire set felt like a gift from Thou, performing most of the songs from their earlier releases, just like ending the set with “The Song of Illuminate Darkness” from their 2009 split with Salome. Since it was my first time seeing Thou, I will have to say this was an unforgettable performance by one of the greatest sludge/doom metal bands to ever get on a stage. I cannot wait to see what 2026 has in store for Thou, Null, and Clot!

Check out Thou’s setlist from their performance at Aisle 5 in Atlanta, Georgia, below:

·         “Emotional Terrorist”

·         “Pill”

·         “Mailman” (Soundgarden cover)

·         “Their Hooves Carve Craters in the Earth”

·         “House of Ideas”

·         “I Return as Chained and Bound to You”

·         “By Endurance We Conquer”

·         “The Song of Illuminate Darkness”

You can stream and support Thou via their official Bandcamp page today! Thou has no more announced tour dates in 2025, but you can check out Thou’s tour page for updates.

For those who are new to the band Thou, may I suggest starting your journey off with Thou’s first LP, Tyrant. Heathen and their EP, The House Primordial, are two perfect records among the many great recordings in Thou’s vast discography. Thou’s cover album, A Primer of Holy Words, and the two collaboration albums with Emma Ruth Rundle (May Our Chambers Be Full and The Helm of Sorrow) are also vital records to hear when introducing yourself to their music. And for fans of the band Nirvana, check out Thou’s album Blessings of the Highest Order – the album is all Nirvana cover songs. You can thank me later. Thou’s latest album, Umbilical, was on constant rotation in my house when it was released. My fingers are crossed that Thou is taking a break from touring the rest of 2025 so they can write and record some new material.

2025, Alternative metal, Atlanta, concert, Concert photography, Concert Review, Concerthopper, Concerts, Doom Metal, Doom, Georgia, Live Music, Local Music, metal, metal tours, music, Photography, Thou, grindcoreH. Xerxes Tzolis2025, Concerthopper, concert review, concert photography, concert, Review, photography, photos, Atlanta, atl, georgia, Thou, grindcore, metal, metal tours, Doom metal, Doom, sludge